Mortise lock hub cover



April 25, 1967 F RUSSELL ET AL 3,316,006

MORTISE LOCK HUB COVER Filed April 23, 1965 ATTOQNEYS `in the alteredarrangement.

United States Patent O 3,316,006 MORTISE LOCK HUB COVER Fred J. Russell,8635 Otis St., South Gate, Calif. 90280, and Roger J. Nolin, MontereyPark, Calif.; said' Nolin assignor to said Russell Filed Apr. 23, 1965,Ser. No. 450,462 3 Claims. (Cl. 292337) Door locks fall into variousclassifications. Although the subject of the invention herein disclosedis applicable -to various locks provided with a case, it has par--ticular advant-age when employed as part of a lock usually identifiedas a mortise lock. Such a lock is one which lits into a recess which hasbeen cut into the door from the free edge of the door.

Mortise locks often are selected when a rugged, high quality type oflock is needed. Typical installations for a high quality mortise typelock are installations for hotels, hospitals, and schools. Differentfunctions to suit different needs are expected of mortise locks, some ofwhich are appropriate when the locks are used, for example, on hotels.Others are more particularly advantageous when used on schools, but areunsuitable for hotels. As a practical matter, it is not feasible to inventory as many different mortise locks as the trade might demand.Therefore, mortise locks are often so constructed that they can be takenapart or partially taken apart and certain interior mechanisms removedand replaced by different mechanisms without other change in the lock,.thereby to make the lock structure useable, except for the one or twoal-tered parts, in each of many different types of installations.Sometimes the lock needs to be changed after it has been installed inorder to accommodate some different need.

Although changes have always been possible, in the pas-t, such locks hadto be dismantled substantially in order to make the change and Athen putback together Where mortise locks are complex in their mechanicalarrangement, as is usually the case, considerable skill and much timehas been involved in making such changeovers.

It therefore is among the objects of the invention to provide a new andimproved mortise lock case so arranged that the case may be onlypartially dismantled in order to gain access to a portion of theinterior, whereby to change some of the parts without any need foropening other portions of the case.

` Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved casefor a mortise type lock which is of `multiple construction, whereby acover is provided with a second sub-cover which is advantageouslylocated, so that the cover itself may remain in place, holding togethermost of the complex lock mechanism, while the sub-cover can be removedto permit extraction and replacement of only certain of the operatingparts, without disturbing the mounting of those remaining,

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedcover assembly for a mortise type lock, wherein a cover for gainingaccess to the entire interior of the lock mechanism is prov-ided with asepa rate sub-cover mounted upon and forming a removable portion, thesub-cover being so constructed and mounted that, when in place, it willbe flush with Ithe exterior of the cover and the case, thereby requiringno extra installation technique; the sub-cover, furthermore, beingsnuggly nested in the cover itself in a manner which occupies relativelya minimum amount of space.

3,3l6,0il6 Patented Apr. 25, 1967 With these and other objects in View,the invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combina-.tion of the various parts of the device, whereby the objectscontempla-ted are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in theappended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of a fragment of door, showing amortise type lock mounted therein, with the door partially broken awaylto reveal the sub-cover arrangement.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the door, showing themortise type lock mounted thereon in end elevation.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of that portion of the case whichcarries the removable sub-cover.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, showing the case with `thesub-cover removed.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view on approximately the line 5-5 ofFIGURE 3, but wherein only portions of the mortise lock mechanism areshown such as have a bearing upon the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of a hub element which may besubstituted for one of the hub elements pictured in FIGURES 4 and 5.

A lock construction especially well adapted to the invention here underconsideration is shown and described in copending applications SerialNo. 450,461, tiled April 23, 1965; Serial No. 450,450, tiled April 23,1965, now Patent No. 3,298,729; Serial No. 450,447, tiled April 23,1965; Serial No. 450,472, tiled April 23, 19615; Serial No. 450,460,filed April 23, 1965; Serial No. 450,446, filed April 23, 1965.

In the embodiment of the invention which has been chosen for purposes ofillust-ration, a typical mortise type lock has been indicated generallyby the reference character 10 and provided with a case indicated by thereference character 11. The case is made up of an inside wall 1.2, anoutside wall 13, an outer end wall 1.4, an inner end wall 14', a topwall 15, and a bottom wall 15. Following common practice,1 this mortisetype lock 10 is provided with a dead bolt 16, a latch bolt `18, and anauxiliary bolt 20. The door is provided with a recess 22 in which thecase 11 is positioned. A front plate 21 overlies the outer end wall 14`and is fastened to the outer end wall 14 by means of screws 25.. Theouter end wall 14, in turn, is fastened to an end edge 23 of a door 24by means of screws (not shown). An inside knob is indicated by thereference character 26, and an outside knob is indicated by thereference character 27. A bearing 28 assists in mounting the inside knob26, and a rose 29 surrounds the bearing 210. A bearing 30 and a rose `31serve in a similar respect with regard to the outside knob 27.

A square spindle 36 is nonrotatably secured by conventional means (notshown) to .the outside knob 27. A similar square spindle 36 isnonrotatably mounted by conventional means with respect to the insideknob 26. In the chosen example, the square spindle 36 fits nonrotatablyin a rollback 33. Similarly, the square spindle 36 fits nonrotatably ina rollback 40. Both rollbacks, 38 and 40, are adapted to cooperate witha relatively broad block 4Z which, acting through a cam 413, are adaptedto move against a rollback link 44. By mechanism not shown and notimportant to the present invention, the rollback link 44 is adapted tomanipulate the latch bolt 18. By way of example, when the outside knob27 is rotated clockwise, as viewed in FIGURES l, 3, and 4, an end 50 ofthe rollback 38 is moved against the block 42, shifting it in adirection from left to right so that the cam 43 moves against therollback link 44 causing it to operate. lFor a counterclockwise rotationof the outside knob 27, an end 51 moves against the block 42 for asimilar purpose. The block 42 can also be independently shifted in adi-rection from left to right, as viewed in FIGURES 4 and 5, by rotationof the rollback 40 in response to rotation of the inside knob 26 and4the spindle 36 attached to it.

In practice, both of the rollbacks 38 yand 40 are s-lidable endwise onthe respective spindles 36, 36. Rollbacks 38, 40, if desired, can have acomplimentary rotatable engagement with each other (not shown). In thearrangement illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, for example, the rollback 38is provided with a notch 52 which can be manipulated by any one of anumber of known expedients customarily available when the door is open,thereby to block rotation of the ou-tside knob 27 and its correspondingrollback 38 in order to prevent the door from being opened from theoutside. Since the rollback 40 is cut away at the area 54, the rollback40 will not be engaged by the blocking key 53, and, hence, the insideknob 26 will not be blocked from rotation.

Occasions may arise, however, when it might be desirable to interchangethe posi-tion of the rollbacks 38 and 40, without at the same timechanging any other portion of the lock mechanism. Further still, itmight be desirable to substitute for the rollback 38 a rollback 5S ofslightly dilerent design, as shown separately in FIG- URE 7. Therollback 55, provided, as usual, with a square hole S6 to nonrotatablyengage the square spindle 36, has two notches 57 and 58 located on adifferent portion of the rollback 55 f-rom the position occupied by thenotch 52. Should the rollback 55 be substituted for the rollback 38,then it would be possible to hold the square spindle 36 and outside knob27 in a position of partial rotation in either a clockwise direction ora counterclockwise direction. When it is understood .that by rotatingthe outside knob 27, thereby to manipulate the block `42 and rollbacklink 44 to withdraw the latch bolt 18, it will be apparent that thelatch bolt 18 can be held in withdrawn position by extending theblocking key 53 into one or another of the notches 57, 58. Thisopportunity to substitute one rollback for another has been described indetail in order to illustrate the need f-or a partial disassembly andreassembly of a mortise lock. Obviously, if no operating par-ts otherthan those described are to be removed, interchanged, or replaced andwhere this can be accomplished because of the mere face-to-facerelationship of the rollback with the block 42, there is, accordingly,need to gain access only to that portion of the interior of the case 11which is occupied by the rollbacks.

The outside Wall 13 in the chosen embodiment is employed as a cover.Constructed in this fashion, the outside wal-l 1.3 overlies the innerend wall 14' and the top and bottom walls 15, respectively, to which itis secured by means of bolts 59, the bolts 59 normally extending throughthe case 1'1 into the opposite or inside wall 12. Since the outside wall13 is to be left in place, there is provided in the outside wall 13 anopening 60 of relatively lirregular shape, but large enough to clear therollbacks 38 and 40. Around the opening 60, the outside wall 13 has adepressed portion which provides respectively two relatively small areas61 and 62, and a relatively large area 63. A sub-cover 64 in the shapeof an irregular T flts over the small and large areas 61, 62, and 63,and a leg portion 65 extends part way into a cutout portion 66. Screws67, 68, and 69 extend through the sub-cover 64 into appropriate threadedholes 70, 71, and 72, respectively. It will be further noted, from anexamination of FIGURE 6, that the depressed portion, as exemplified bythe large area 63, has a depth such that, when the sub-cover 64 has thesame thickness as the outside wall 13, an exterior surface 73 of thesubcover 64 is flush with the exterior surface of the outside wall 13.When the depressed portion is no deeper than las shown :and described,the depressed portion does not extend inwardly into the case 11 anydeeper than the thickness of the outside Wall 13, and, hence, nounnecessary amount of space is taken up by this construction. One ormore edges of the depressed portion, where they coincide withcorresponding edges of the subcover 64, may serve as positioning angesto properly locate the sub-cover 64 in position.

Accordingly, should the need arise to substitute the rollback 55, forexample, for .the rollback 38, the subcover 64 can be removed byremoving the th-ree screws 67, 68, and 69, whereupon access is had tothe rollback 38. Of course, the outside knob 27 must be removed, and therollback must be substituted for the rollback 38. 'Following this, thesub-cover 64 must be replaced. The exchange therefore, [has been madepossible without removing the bolt 59 and the outside wall 13.Consequently, no other portions of the mortise lock mechanisms need tobe disturbed.

When the sub-cover 64 is removed, the rollbacks'38 and 40 may be freelyinterchanged or removed, if desired, and other rollbacks substituted,without disassembling the lock to any greater extent. To further improvethe rotatable mounting of the rollbacks, a bushing 38' may be providedon the rollback 38, for example, rotatably mounted in a circular opening64 in the subcover 64. The rollback 40 may be similarly formed andmounted in the inside wall 12.

Whereas the sub-cover 64 in the embodiment has been described as locatedover the opening in the outside wall 13, it alternately would befeasible to locate the sub-cover 64 on the inside wall 12, thusproviding just as effective access to the rollbacks 3S, 40, and 55.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what isconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein,but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims, so as to embrace anyand all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support ofLetters Patent is:

1. In a mortise lock, a case including a removable cover plate on oneside of the case, a lock mechanism in said case having operating partslocated therein, a portion of said operating parts constituting apartial lock mechanism, said case having an opening -therein surroundingsaid partial lock mechanism, sec-tions of said cover at the perimeter ofsaid opening being depressed, a removable sub-cover of substantially thesame size as said opening and resting on said sections so that theexterior of the sub-cover does not project beyond the exterior of thecover, and releasable means securing said removable sub-cover to saidcase.

2. In a mortise lock, a case including a removable cover plate on oneside of the case, a lock mechanism in said case having operating partslocated therein, a portion of said operating parts constituting apartial lock mechanism, a spindle means extending beyond at least oneside of said case and engaging said partial lock mechanism, .said casehaving an opening therein surrounding said partial lock mechanism andsaid spindle, a removable sub-cover of substantially the same size assaid opening and having a hole for said spindle means, said spindlemeans extending through said sub-cover and rotatably engaging saidpartial lock mechanism,.and releasable means securing said removablesub-cover to said case.

3. In a mortise lock, a case including walls forming a chamber andincluding a cover plate on one side thereof, a lock mechanism in saidchamber, said lock mechanism including at least one hub, an opening insaid case of area greater than said hub and surrounding said hub, asub-cover of substantially the same size as said opening which, when inplace, holds said hub in position, and releasable means securing saidremovable sub-cover to said case whereby said sub-cover can be removedto enable changing of said hub without disturbing the rest of said lockmechanism in said chamber.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 80,974 8/1868Kinzer 292-244 152,369 6/1874 Hamill et al. 292-244 396,916 1/1889Burgess 292-337 1,719,282 7/19129 Wilson 292-337 X 1,981,074 11/1934Rowse. 2,346,636 4/ 1944 Porter 220-29 X 10 MARVIN A. CHAMP-ION, PrimaryExaminer.

RCHARD E. MOORE, Examiner.

1. IN A MORTISE LOCK, A CASE INCLUDING A REMOVABLE COVER PLATE ON ONESIDE OF THE CASE, A LOCK MECHANISM IN SAID CASE HAVING OPERATING PARTSLOCATED THEREIN, A PORTION OF SAID OPERATING PARTS CONSTITUTING APARTIAL LOCK MECHANISM, SAID CASE HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN SURROUNDINGSAID PARTIAL LOCK MECHANISM, SECTIONS OF SAID COVER AT THE PERIMETER OFSAID OPENING BEING DEPRESSED, A REMOVABLE SUB-COVER OF SUBSTANTIALLY THESAME SIZE AS SAID OPENING AND RESTING ON SAID SECTIONS SO THAT THEEXTERIOR OF THE SUB-COVER DOES NOT PROJECT BEYOND THE EXTERIOR OF THECOVER, AND RELEASABLE MEANS SECURING SAID REMOVABLE SUB-COVER TO SAIDCASE.